Many people, sooner or later, have to deal with major life events and everyone processes these events differently. Often you will be able to cope with major events independently, but sometimes you can experience something that is so shocking that it is difficult to give it a place. For example, witnessing or experiencing a robbery, an accident, abuse, a nasty divorce, harassment, dismissal or the death of a loved one
When you experience one or more shocking events and / or if you have witnessed such an event, trauma can arise. If a trauma is not processed properly, it can cause issues dealing with yourself and others. But how do you process a trauma?
Physical and psychological complaints
There are a number of physical and psychological complaints that can arise as a result of a trauma. You may notice that you are having trouble sleeping, that you are suffering from nightmares or that you are ‘reliving’ your trauma. You may become scared and withdrawn, or aggressive and angry. In addition, you can feel guilty, be constantly tense and no longer enjoy the things you previously liked. The trauma imposes itself on you, and you begin to notice that it affects your functioning in daily life. If you identify with any of the above characteristics, it is important to read more about trauma processing.
Trauma processing
Everyone copes with trauma in their own way. How the trauma is processed also depends on the severity of your trauma and your individual characteristics. Below I will discuss a number of ways of processing a trauma.
1. Psychoeducation
In short, psychoeducation is information about the complaints that you experience. Reading trauma-related psychoeducation will give you a better idea of what is going on. For example, you will learn about how a trauma can be expressed. Further reading may help you understand your behaviors and thoughts better. Reading experience stories can also be valuable. You can feel understood and follow the advice given by others.
2. Visual therapy
Talking about trauma is incredibly difficult. Some succeed, but some don’t. If talking about trauma is too big a step for you, you could give visual therapy a chance. Through visual therapy you can give form to and visualize your experiences. With different materials such as paint, clay, textiles or pencils, work can be created. Through visual therapy you can gain insight, process the trauma and, moreover, it can improve cognitive and / or physical functioning.
3. Psychotherapy
You can follow psychotherapy in group form or one-on-one. In a safe environment you will talk about the trauma with your professional. It is important to know that you decide on how much you want to share about your experience. You can indicate your limits at any time.
4. EMDR
EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is a therapy that has been proven to be effective in the processing of traumatic experiences. This type of therapy ensures that the intensity and emotional charge of a bad experience and memory decreases.
Seek support
We as humans are social animals, and we need each other. This is especially true after experiencing trauma. You may not feel like it, but try to reach out to your loved ones anyway. Indicate what you expect from them. Is it a listening ear? Is it a hug? You deserve to be supported and heard. You don’t have to go through this alone.
Are you or someone close to you dealing with an (unresolved) trauma and do you need personal help or advice? Don’t hesitate to get in touch with a NiceDay professional.
